Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka has dismissed the controversy around his sitting on a smaller stool while performing the pooja at Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple on Monday as unnecessary as he chose to sit on the stool to take blessings from the priests.
Mr. Vikramarka said he was a man of self-respect and trolling him using a particular picture was unfortunate. He said that he enjoyed all the powers and was running the State as the Deputy Chief Minister. “I don’t need to bow in front of anyone as is being made out to be,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister was reacting to the picture where Chief Minister and other ministers sat on taller stools while his stool was a bit shorter than theirs. The BRS and other parties triggered a controversy over the picture claiming it was an insult to a Dalit.
Mr. Vikramarka was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the Singareni Collieries Guest House in Hyderabad on Tuesday. He clarified that he would never compromise with his self-respect and he was dictating the State with three powerful departments. “My decisions as the Minister for Finance and Energy are key to the State’s development.”
He also said that Singareni employees would be taken into confidence while making key decisions on its development. In view of the rising demand for coal, he said the State government has asked the Centre for permission to start operations for Tadicherla Coal Block-II and also the Naini Block in Odisha.
